Unfortunately, GameMaker Blog will be ceasing publication for the foreseeable future. I’m no longer able to maintain the website in addition to my real life and work obligations. Since GameMaker is a niche topic, it is extremely difficult to find writers who are knowledgeable about the extensive history of the software and who are able to maintain the level of consistency and quality that the community deserves. Even if this wasn’t the case, the task of managing, maintaining, and updating GameMaker Blog is not one I could confidently hand over to any person I know.

With the recent multimillion-dollar acquisition of YoYo Games by Playtech this decision comes at the end of an era for GameMaker users. It is a fitting end for GameMaker Blog, too.

Exactly 15 years ago today, Mark Overmars launched the first public version of GameMaker. But it went by a different name in 1999.

Animo was a 2D animation program that featured a basic scripting language and not much else. Eventually, as more features were added, Animo was renamed GameMaker and now 15 years later GameMaker is being used by over 1.2 million developers each month.

Are you tired of the endless hordes of zombie shooters and generic mobile gaming experiences? It’s time to break away from the crowd. There are plenty of ways to improve your GameMaker skills, and one of those is to experiment with new genres. Different genres demand different approaches; experimenting with various types of gameplay can help you refine your GameMaker knowledge across the board.

Choose one of the game genres below and challenge yourself to learn something new!

GameMaker Player, the digital store that YoYo Games announced earlier this month, has officially launched as part of the latest Early Access build of GameMaker Studio. Developers can now export their GameMaker Studio games to GameMaker Player from directly within the engine itself. There is currently no limit to the numbers of games you can upload but this is set to change in the near future.

Today YoYo Games, the developers of GameMaker Studio, officially announced their plan to replace the GameMaker Sandbox with a digital store. While the sandbox used to be a popular destination for gamers and developers alike, in recent years it has been neglected by YoYo Games and subsequently become obsolete.

GameMaker Sandbox is being replaced with a new service called GameMaker Player. Read on for more information.

Cavern Kings by Vine has raised $14,751 on the popular crowdfunding website Kickstarter.

The game itself is an infinite action platform inspired by the likes of indie titles Super Crate Box and Risk of Rain, both of which were also built using the GameMaker engine. Cavern Kings features randomized levels and creatures, and an excessive amount of explosions.

Volunteers have been moderating the official GameMaker community forum since before YoYo Games acquired the engine and platform. They are not paid for the time and effort they spend keeping the forum safe and tidy, and are subsequently not employed by YoYo Games.

However, apparent confusion caused by the naming of the “Retired Staff” group (staff inferring an unwanted connection to YoYo Games) has led YoYo Games head of development Mike Dailly to demote all non-active moderators.